UT’s ‘other’ back could be huge value in middle rounds
MOBILE, Ala. — Texas running back Roschon Johnson smiles at the question.
“Yes, I’ve heard of Priest Holmes,” Johnson said last week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. “I’ve never met him, but people have told me about him, for sure.”
Holmes finished his career as a Texas running back five years before Johnson was born. Yet Johnson will be happy if his connection with Holmes becomes a bigger storyline in the coming years.
Holmes spent his entire career at Texas as a backup, largely because he played behind Ricky Williams, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy and become an NFL star.
Johnson spent his entire career at Texas as a backup, largely because he played behind Bijan Robinson, the top-rated running back in the 2023 draft class.
Holmes wasn’t drafted in 1996, but he went on to lead the league in rushing in 2001 and ran for a combined 48 touchdowns with the Chiefs in 2002 and 2003, including a then-NFL record 27 in 2003.
Johnson is sure to be drafted. While it’s unfair to put him on the level of Holmes, who rolled up more than 11,000 career yards from scrimmage, Johnson has the traits to become an NFL starter.
“He has a chance to be a secondor third-round pick,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. “He’s a 220-pound back, he can play all three downs, he can pass protect. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s got do-it-all ability as a back. He’s an accomplished special teams player.”
Johnson measured 6-0½ and 222 pounds in Mobile. He’s a big back with some burst.
The Buffalo Bills probably will be in the market for a running back with Devin Singletary set to become a free agent next month.
The Bills have James Cook returning after a promising rookie season. He could be the “1A” option in the Bills’ backfield next season. But adding a bigger back with power in the third or fourth round could be a consideration for the Bills.
Johnson rushed for 2,190 yards at Texas. As a senior in 2022, he gained 554 yards and averaged 5.96 yards a carry.
Robinson rushed for 1,580 yards, sixth in the country last season, and 6.12 yards a carry along with 18 TDs. ESPN’s Mel Kiper rates Robinson as the eighth-best overall prospect in the draft, and he could go in the mid- to late first round.
A lot of draft analysts like the idea of Robinson to Buffalo. Early mock drafts from NFL.com, the Ringer and Pro Football Focus all project Robinson to the Bills at No. 27.
Given all the Bills’ needs, using a first-round pick on a running back would be a controversial decision. The best value at running back often is found on the second day, or even in the fourth or fifth rounds.
While the Robinson-to-Buffalo chatter is sure to linger for the next couple of months, adding Johnson later in the draft — or a big back like him — makes sense.
Johnson hit 22.6 mph in offseason workouts in Austin, making him one of the Longhorns’ fastest players. He can run through tackles. He’s not a fumbler. He was a star quarterback in high school, so his hands and ball skills are excellent.
Is he elusive enough? Is his lateral agility good enough to make people miss and gain yards on his own?
Those are questions that probably will decide whether Johnson creeps into the second day of the draft or lasts into the fourth round.
He’s sure to impress teams in interviews. He graduated with a business management degree and a 3.4 grade-point average. He was a semifinalist for the Campbell Trophy, the academic Heisman. He was a good team player in the shadow of Robinson.
“Me and Bijan are brothers,” Johnson said. “There wasn’t any animosity toward him or anything like that. I think we made each other better and complemented each other.”
In the current era of mass transfers, it’s noteworthy that Johnson resisted the temptation to leave for another college where he could be a starter.
“It definitely did cross my mind, if I could maximize my abilities somewhere else,” Johnson said. “That was something I meditated and prayed on. I decided to stay and stick it out with my teammates. It wasn’t really about me. It was (more) about the team and how I could help us win, put us on a pedestal.”
“We always stick a red star on the card on our board for guys who were the staff favorite at their school — for football makeup and character,” Nagy said of his Senior Bowl selection process. “He’s like one of the top kids in their program.”
Johnson broke a bone in his hand during pass blocking drills during Senior Bowl week and sat out the rest of the practices. He won’t need surgery.